For the longest time, one of the biggest questions continually asked on this website was, "Where can I find Invisible Monsters in hardcover?" Once they found out the tragic answer, the next question was always, "Well, why wasn't it ever released in hardcover?" If you want someone to blame, blame Chuck. Lol. Seriously. He never felt his fans should spend anymore than $15 on his books back in the day. And so he convinced his original publishers, WW Norton, to just skip the hardcover phase for Invisible Monsters and go straight to trade paperback.

Chuck, you soft-hearted bastard. You're gonna hate me for this, but it's time we finally gave the fans what they wanted and get this damn book out in its proper format. We have Cult Member, Aaron McKeever to thank for pushing the train into motion on this one. He contacted WW Norton's senior editor, Amy Cherry, earlier this month about getting IM in hardcover. Amy said that with enough queries they would seriously consider doing just that.

So without further ado, I bring you the third petition we've hosted on this site; a petition to get Invisible Monsters released in hardcover! Once we have enough signatures, we'll send the petition to WW Norton and see what happens next.

Alot of Chuck fans like to have all of his books and the hardcover is alot nicer then the paperback. I have every one of his books in hardcover and a few paper backs too. If a friend wants to borrow a book I would rather give them the paperback then the hardcover. I like to keep the harcovers in good shape so when Chuck does his book tours I can get them signed. But maybe I'm just crazy!

why hardcover is better:
you can drop it more often without damaging it as much
it hurts more when you hit people with it
it makes you feel more important when you have hardcover copies in your library
people are obligated to take care of it if they borrow it
it burns better in case of emergency
it's harder to eat it, so you keep it longer
the artwork is usually larger on the dust jacket
if you need to reach a high shelf it can be used to step on
relatives need something useful to buy on birthdays and xmas instead of poorly thought out gifts like puffy sweaters
your arms get more of a workout holding the hardcover version
if chuck goes to sign a hardcover version and screws up your name, there is plenty of room to rewrite it
everyone on the bus will think you're smart enough to read a hardcover book
spiders are more afraid of a hardcover book death then a softcover book death
you can impress your friends and family by saying 'yea well i have the HARDCOVER version'
if you like to cuddle your books, the edges won't get so tattered so quickly
it's easier for cats to rub their faces on while you're reading so that you PET THEM ALREADY
9 out of 8 crazy people like hardcover better
you will think twice about putting pizza in the pages if you paid more for it
you can't cut out the middle of a softcover book and hide your secret stuff in it
9 out of 10 dead people wish they had brought their hardcover books with them to the grave, while only 5 out of 10 wish they had brought the soft cover books

at first i related the idea to music: "well what's the difference between a hardcover book and a special-edition CD, or even a box set? they're both really geared toward fans. But... special edition CDs and box sets have more tracks (b-sides or live stuff, usually) than the standard cd(s)." A hardcover Invisible Monsters is only going to have a different cover; it'll have the exact same story. The only thing I can think of that would make it worth the price would be the inclusion of a few of Chuck's earlier writings or perhaps a new short story or poem or something.

Personally, I'd rather spend my money on other books, or maybe some CDs, than on a story that I already own in softcover format.

If you're the type of person who has a Chuck collection or is just picky about having all-hardcover books, go for it.

Hardcover : Softcover
does not equal
DVD : VHS.

P.S. and about collections....

May my personal library never be complete.
May my personal library never be content.
May my personal library never be perfect.

I think alot of fans would like to see IM in hardback just to satisfy the obsessive-compulsive-ness of bibliophiles. I would like to look at my shelf and see all those great novels lined up like pretty maids all in a row. As of now, when I see IM and Fugitives and Refugees there on the end, it's like something inside me cringes, but now that i think about it, maybe it's just me.

I'm actually surprised a HB edition hasn't been released yet, with all the success Chuck has had in the last few years, seems an easy way to garner some funds if your a publisher. If the petition doesn't warrant a wide distribution, I would love to see a limited edition HB release this summer to coincide with Stranger than Fiction, maybe with something extra added,(color pages showing all the different release covers?)

Well, i'll keep my fingers crossed and hit my knees every night and pray that StF is in the standard HB format as all Chuck's other works.

later,
Karb!

p.s. i would also like to mention to Chuck himself, I would gladly pay over the twenty bucks for this edition.

I love hardcover too. I'm afraid, however, in publishing lingo, queries is code for "sales." If you are serious about getting IM out in hardcover, hie thee to every book store in a fifty mile radius of where you live and buy every single copy of IM and any other Chuck book they have including the hardcover versions of [I]Haunted[/I] and then order two more. To prove hardcover Chuck will sell. After all that sit your butt down an order maybe 100 from Amazon. Sends sales for IM through the roof and then ask Norton for the hardcover, special limited edition, with new material from Chuck--and maybe you'll get it.

Fiction sales are near dead. Unless you are Dan Brown or JK Rowling, chances are your first big six novel is coming out straight to trade paper--which sells better than hard cover and is cheaper to produce, ship, and buy. Publishers have always made their money on their back list of trade paper. Besides which everybody is still spending their hardcover book money on Dan Brown and Harry Potter. Now I want to go eat glass.

Chuck has hit the NY Times top 10 list with each hardcover since Choke. Survivor and Fight Club are still selling briskly in hardcover. FC is in it's fifth printing in HC. So, the "queries", I believe, [i]are[/i] there :)

Although I may not like to spend all my money on hardcover, there are people who do. So, just knowing that people want it so bad, I'm going to sign it. And I suggest people stop being so selfish and sign it themselves. =)

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